What's Cooking in Bryan County?

I can hear my grandmother exclaiming now, “Can you believe it is October already?” Every time I turn the page on the calendar, I smile at the memory of her exclaiming that she couldn’t believe it was the next month. As I grow older, I know exactly what she meant because I find that usually I am about a week late even flipping that page over on the calendar. Time does fly and I’m trying to hold on to each day by its wings.

Growing up in North Carolina there was a wonderful crispness in the air during the month of October.

I was so excited to see that this week we were able to experience some of that feeling here in Bryan County. I love to see the leaves change color and some resemblance of autumn in our midst. I get excited to see pumpkins and fall harvest decorations.

The best part I like about the fall is that crisp night air. I love it when I can sit outside and just breathe.

You can’t really do that during the summer. The humidity just takes the life out of you and it is usually just too hot.

In the cool air, it seems life is pumped right back into your veins, you can do all of that yard work that you have been meaning to do. You know what else you can do this time of year? Go camping. You don’t even have to go anywhere. When we were kids, my sisters and I had the best campground in our own backyard. Thankfully, we lived back in the woods.

When we moved into the city, we still had a big backyard so we still camped there, too. Every child should be able to have that experience. Of course they should not have the experience of the skunks that my sisters and I did. “Run” is a very good word. “Yell” is not.

We learned that very quickly. My sister also learned that even though the old folks called them “po-cats” they are not cats and do not try to feed them. She did sleep alone that night… very much alone in fact.

One of our own greatest traditions is to just build a fire in the fire pit or while camping. Jimmy can tell the best stories of him growing up or ghost stories that his mom told him. Our kids have wonderful memories of those fires. We roast marshmallows and make S’mores.

I came to realize soon that it wasn’t so much that my kids liked the marshmallows. They weren’t the ones eating them the most. It wasn’t so much about the S’mores. It was all about family time.

I challenge you to spend as much quality time as you can over the next few months with your family. Those memories are the best things that you can give your child. Believe me, the more memories you make with your child…they’ll want s’more.

Yep, you guess it. Here are some recipes for a few “S’more” type treats.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

4. Stir in the Mallow Bits and chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

5. Drop a heaping tablespoon of dough on the baking sheet. I stuck in a few extra chocolate chips and Mallow Bits onto the top of the dough for looks, but you can skip this step if you wish. Keep cookies spread about 1-2” apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until cookies are set. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to a wire cooling rack.